Combination article of baby furniture



Sept. 11, 1951 l. E. ADAMS COMBINATION ARTICLE 0F BABY FURNITURE 2 SheebS-Sheeh l Filed Feb. l1, 1949 Sept 1l, 1951 l. E. ADAMS 2,567,752

COMBINATION ARTICLE OF' BABY FURNITURE Filed Feb. l1, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 11, 1951 COMBINATION ARTICLE F BABY FURNITURE Ida E. Adams, Atlantic City, N. J.

Application February 11, 1949, Serial No. 75,844

lchair with feeding tray, a play table, swing and pot chair.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination article of baby furniture also including a toy chest in which alnumber of toys may be stored in a convenient and accessible manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide an item of furniture having a chair provided with a removable seat portion for exposing a subbottom of the chair containing an opening forming a babys toilet seat and having means for supporting a pot or receptacle detachably on the under side thereof and beneath said opening.

Another aim of the invention isv to provide a combination including the seat which is normally supported for vertical yielding and substantially universal swinging movement in a horizontal plane relatively to its supporting structure and which seat may be readily connected to the supporting structure for maintaining it substantially rigid while employed as a toilet seat or for feeding an infant or young child.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an item of baby furniture including a high chair having a rigid tray not requiring raising or removal for applying a child to or removing it from the high chair.

Still a further object of "the invention is. to provide an item of furniture of the general nature heretofore described which is extremely compact yet very durable and efficient for its various intended purposes, which is attractive in appearance and sufciently light to enable it to be readily moved from room to room and which will eliminate much of the bending and stooping required of mothers and nurses in .attending to infants and young children in the use of a toilet seat or in feeding or tending to a child in a play pen.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, .and wherein :y

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the combination article of baby furniture;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof looking from right to left of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view thereof; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the article of furniture; l

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the lineB--S of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken` substantially along a plane as indicated by the line I-l of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one element of the invention, and

Figure 9 is a perspective View of another element thereof.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the combination article of baby furniture in its entirety is designated generally II) and includes a base, designated generally II composed of four corner blocks I2 which are connected by longitudinally extending bars I3 Iand transversely extending bars I4. Each of the corner blocks I2 is provided with a depending caster wheel I5 and said caster Wheels provide a mobile support for the furniture item III.

The furniture item I0 includes corresponding side walls I6 the lower end portions of which are suitably fastened to the sides of the base II and extend upwardly therefrom. The furniture item I0 is provided with a bottom I'I which is supported on and suitably secured to the base II and which extends between the sides I6 and from front to rear of the base I I. A horizontal partition I8 is disposed above and parallel to the bottom Il and is supported by cleats I9 secured to the sides I6, As seen in Figure l, the furniture `item I is provided with a lower front wall 20 which is secured to and extends between the bottom Il and partition I8 and also between the sides IB to combine with said portions to form a chamber 2I preferably adapted for use as a toy chest the open `rear end of which is partially closed and at the bottom thereof by a door or closure 22 which is hinged at one end thereof as seen at 23 to one of the sides IB and which is provided with a conventional latch bolt 24 for releasablyretaining the closure 22 in a. closed position.

The side walls I6 are provided with complementary, relatively large openings 25 which extend from beneath and adjacent the level of the partition I8 to a point near the upper edges of said side walls. Said side walls I6 extend a substantial distance above the level of the partition I8 and are connected at their upper edges by a top wall 26 the forward edge of which is spaced rearwardly from the forward edges of the side walls I6, as best seen in Figure 5. Said side Walls IG ,are provided with rounded corners 21 at their upper, forward ends. The top wall 26 which forms a tray or table is provided with a recess or notch 28, as best seen in Figure 4, which opens outwardly of the rear edge thereof and which diverges in width from its closed, forward end to its open, rear end. The tray 26 is provided with a guard rail 29 extending across the forward edge and along its side and which is supported by spaced posts 3|),

The furniture item l is provide-d with an upper front wall 3| which extends between and is suit ably secured to the side walls IB and which is dis.

posed above and spaced from the lower front wall and terminates below the levelv of'the tray ;-l A foot rest 32 extends across the inner side" of the front wall 3| adjacent its lowenedge, as.

best seen in Figure 5, and is detachably supported on the side walls I6 by meansoi cleats' 33.

A seat structure, designated generally-34 includes a bottom 35, which. is removable,` asubl bottom 35 which is disposed therebeneath and whichforms a-'stationary portion of the seat 34 and has corner posts 31 secured to and rising fromv seat structure 34 also includes a back 4| 'which' extends'from adjacent the'upper surface of the subpbottom 3B "to a point-substantially above the level'othe guard rail'40 and which has the lower portion-of one side edge thereof swingably connected'byhinges 42' to one of the rear corner posts 31" andwhic'his provided adjacent its opposite side edge with a latch ,bolt'i 43"for`de` ta'chably'latching the back 4|. to the other rear cornerpost 31 `forreleasably retaining "it Ain a closed position,y as illustrated inthe drawings; It willfbe -readily apparent that with'the latch' bolt I 43--inaretracted positionth'at the "back 4|q may beswung rearwardly fonithe hinges 42"to an open position,A as illustrated Vin dotted lines inFigure 4 for. vexposing-the rear ofthe 'seat structure '34" soethataichild or'infa'nt `can be inserted intothe seat from". the rear thereof. and with theY legs exe tendingffoutwardlyw from the front of the seatv structure' 34 straddling'the front post 39 and be-V tween .the :frontcorner postsf3`| and the front' guard frail portion; so that when the back 4| 'is thereafter latched'in a closed position, the child willjbe retained in the seat structure 34 so that it cannot climb out or fall out or `be removed until the back4l is'unlatched and again swung rearwardly and to an operrposition.`

The sub-bottom 3Sis provided with an opening 445-' as seen in Figure `ijenabling itto 'be used as a toil'etseat'and hasl a lparallel forwardly and rearwardly extending bars 45 of angle iron secured to its under side for slidably and demountably supporting-fa pot orY receptacle 45 on the under side ofthe sub-bottom 36 and beneath the opening 44, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 5. A stop 4l rnay be provided'on the under side of the subbottcm 36 to limit the extent that the receptacle 46 can be inserted on the supporting angle irons 45,"from rear to front, and 'so that said receptaclev will be directly' beneath the opening 44 when advanced into engagement with the stop 4l.

The bottom' 35 which'isremovably supported on 4 with a notched forward edge 48 to engage the post 39 and has laterally extending lugs 49 for engagement between the front corner posts 31 and the adjacent uprights 38. Said lugs 49 and the notch 48 combine to normally retain the seat or bottom 35 correctly positioned on the sub-bottom 36 and Withthe rear edge of the bottom 35 engaging against the back rest 4|.

A cleat 50 is secured to the under side of the -tray 26 and extends between the sides I6. Two

' contractile coiled springs 5| are suspended from the 'cleat 5U by. eye fastenings 53. The lower ends of the springs 5| are connected to similar eye fastenings V52-which are anchored to and rise from the rail 40 adjacent the front corner posts 31; An anglexbracket 54 has an apertured leg which .isfastened to each of the sides i6 at the rear edge and adjacent the upper end thereof. Said angle brackets 54 are each provided with an inwardly extending leg `which is' disposed beneath the rear portion of the tray 26 and which extends into the notch'28 thereof and has aneye 55 in its under side and at its inner end to which is anchored 'an end of a :contractile coil spring 56. The depending/'ends 'of the springs 56 are con'- nected by eye fastenings 5l to the rail'd adjacent the two rear corner posts 37 and cooperate with the springs 5| to yieldably support'the chair structure5=3l`f`beneatli the `notched .portion'28 of the tray 26 and for vertically yielding movement with respect-thereto. Itv will also be readily apparent that the'` springs f5| and 56'will'permitthe chair structure 3'! toA swing fforwardly or rearwardly article ofA furniture l 0.'.

f A'rigid brace member 58 is pivotallyconnected or vlaterally with respectto' the remaindenof. the

at one end thereof tothe :rear-edge of' 'each of the lside's Hi.

Saidcbraces 58 tare each provided. -fadjacent 4its xfree :Yendgwith ailaterally opening project"=rearwardly'from the rear corner posts 311'so'zthatthe braces 58 will maintain the seat..

structurei 34 substantially stationary with respectto'theremairider'of Nthearticle of furni- Y ture I0 when in engagement with the studs 50 to' thereby `render the. Vseatv structure limmobile furniturefisbeing kutilized as a high chair for feeding an infant or young child. However,

' when the 'braces 58 are disengaged from the studs' 5G -and disposed in their normal depending thefsub-bottorn 35 and removed when said subj bottom is' utilizadas aA toilet seat, is provided positions, the child may swing'in the seat structure'or bounce up and down therewith relativelyl to the remainder of the structure I0. Thus used,VV

the child 'may place its feet upon the floor surface as provided by the partition I8 or younger children may-utilize the foot rest 32. A hand rail Gf, of circular cross section is disposed above the tray 25, forwardly of the notch 28 and is supported by uprightsv 62 at its ends which rise from the tray 26.

From the preceding detailed description of the furniture structure I0,'the various uses vthereof will be readily apparent and it will be obvious that such structure provides a combination item of furniturel for use `by infants and young childrenranging in age from approximately ve months to two years and which maybe utilized as a high chairfor feeding; thechild, a toilet seatyaswing and also Aa play pen.l The chest 2| also affords a convenient Ycompartment'for the storage of the childs toys or play things, not shown. The seat structure 34, as previously described, affords a structure which is extremely safe as it positively prevents the child from climbing or falling out of the'seat when the back 4| is latched in a closed position.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A combination article of furniture for infants and young children comprising an upright supporting structure including a tray disposed in an elevated position, said supporting structure having an open rear side, a seat structure supported within said supporting structure be neath said tray, said tray having a notch disposed above the seat structure and adapted to accommodate the upper portion of the body of a baby or small child supported in the seat structure, said notch having an end opening outwardly of the rear edge of the tray and of the open rear side of the supporting structure, said seat structure including a back rest extending upwardly therefrom through the tray notch, said back rest being hinged along one upright edge thereof to a side of the seat structure to swing rearwardly for exposing the back of the seat structure and the open end of the notch.

2. An article of furniture as in claim 1, a portion of the seat structure including the back rest being disposed in the open rear side of the supporting structure, and latch means carried by the back rest and releasably latching the other upright edge of the back rest to a part of the seat structure for closing the back of the seat structure and the open end of the notch.

3. An article of baby furniture comprising an upright supporting structure having an open rear side and a top wall defining a tray, said top wall having a notch opening outwardly of one edge thereof and toward the open rear side of the supporting structure, a seat supported by the supporting structure beneath the tray notch including a back rest extending into the tray notch and normally closing the open end thereof, said back rest being hinged at one side edge thereof to a part of the seat structure to swing outwardly of the open rear side of the supporting structure to expose the back of the seat and the open end of the notch, and latch means carried by the back rest and releasably latching the back rest at its other upright edge to a part of the seat to retain the back rest in a position for closing the back of the seat and the open end of the notch.

4. An article of baby furniture comprising an upright frame having an open rear side, said frame including a top wall defining a tray having a notch opening into said open rear side, a seat supported in the frame beneath the tray having an open end facing the open rear side of the frame, a back rest normally closing theopen end of the seat and extending upwardly into the notch and normally closing the open end thereof, said back rest being swingably connected to the seat for swinging movement outwardly through the open rear side of the frame to expose the open end of the seat and the open end of the notch.

5. An article of baby furniture as in claim 4, and means yieldably supporting the seat in the frame for reciprocating movement toward and away from the tray and for swinging movement relatively to the frame and tray.

IDA E. ADAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 196,730 WickV Oct. 30, 1877 358,466 Lueders Mar. 1, 1887 1,148,443 Condon July 27, 1915 2,161,657 Hansburg June 6, 1939 2,454,599 Durlson --s. Nov. 23, 1948 

